Markbass CMD 121P

In some ways, this unit scores well because of its lack of unnecessary features. THe controls are simple - 4 band EQ, gain, volume, and the magic VLE and VPF controls. I used to love amps with millions of different controls, but now I prefer simplicity, but still with some flexibility. This unit is perfect for me.

The size is tiny - it has to be one of the most portable gigging combos around - and yet it delivers the volume and sound I need. The only downside is getting to the rear panel, which is buried upside-down inside the rear port. But as it keeps the size to a minimum, I can live with that.

I have not used the balanced input yet, so can't comment on that.

One peculiarity is that my bass has so much output that I can only set the gain to a max of 2 (out of 6) to ensure there is no clipping. That said, I've always had enough volume on stage. I usually play with a PA, and this gives plenty of onstage volume. I have used it as the sole bass output in a medium sized venue and it could be heard at the back.

I use 3 Warwick basses. My main one is a custom FNA Jazzman, with a jazz and twinjazz pickups. It has a veyr high output level, and a big bottom end. As long as the gain is not too high, this combos handles the bottom end fantastically well. I have used my old 300W Trace Elliot combo since, and it just doesn't have as much bottom end. The 12 inch speaker is perfectly adequate, though I rarely have to push it to its limits.

The sound is the best I have owned. A flat EQ gives a very nice, clear sound (with a quality bass anyway) and does not colour the sound. THe controls can be tweaked (especially the VLE and VPF controls) to alter the sound quite dramatically. I tend to set the VLE to 9 o'clock and the VPF to 12 o'clock, which gives me a very crisp and modern fingerstyle tone. I am so pleased to get my best ever sound from such a portable amp.

I'm going to be harsh and award 9, as with more speakers would deliver a "wider" sound. Such a small amp has to be a little directional to get a full sound.

I've owned it for nearly a year with no problems whatsoever. IT has been gigged quite a lot in that time, both indoors and out, so I'm happy to award full marks.

Ive had no need to contact the company.

I've been playing 20 years, and I now use this combo for everything I do. It is great as a practice amp, but delivers everything I ask of it in a live situation as well. I will now always look to Markbass first when looking for an amp. If I ever need more volume I will get an extension cab for this unit.

I tried quite a lot of amps before choosing this, and although my objectives where biased somewhat towards portability, I was determined not to compromise on sound or volume. I simply believe that for the average gigging bassist there is no need to have anything more than one 15" speaker or 2x10" to provide sufficient volume. I debated for a long time about the mental aspect of standing on stage in front of an amp that comes up to my knees, but the sound justifies everything. THere may be something out there that sounds even better, but price or size would exclude it from my requirements. That's the only reason I give it a 9.

I bought this amp -brand new - half a year ago. I play mostly jazz (all styles) but I use it for any style or band I play with: jazz, soul, funk, dance or even pop and rock... This single channel solid state combo amp is the most versatile I've ever played. Basic features include 4-band eq, tuner out, send-return fx (series/parallel), DI-out w ground lift (pre/post eq), speakon and jack connection for (additional) cabinet... I use it for rehearsal, recording and on stage. The pre/post and series/parallel setting can be modified buy switching a jumper. It has no headphone jack, but never needed that.

I play a Cort Artisan neck-true A4 w flatwound strings ( La Bella 760-N) with Bartolini MKI Jazz Bass style pickups w active 3-band eq. This 12" combo amplifies my bass without adding color (some people could find this a negative: for me, it's a bonus!). It has the typical growl you get from any 12" speaker. The eq works very musical: add some high mids for accentuation of your melodic lines (works really well with walking bass lines!) I don't use lots of 'm, but the filters/eq's are very good and provide you with a huge variation of sound. It's absolutely very quiet, even at the higher gain ranges. The amp keeps it's tone at low and high levels. It's really hard to let this amp distort: if you like distortion then you're better off buying an Ampeg-style or valve amp or a pedal/fx.

Never had problems with it. Used it standalone and with a 4 x 10" extension cabinet (because of the absence of a PA system). Never took a backup with me to a gig. Can't really answer to this... so 'no opinion' Perhaps after 5-10 years...

Didn't need customer support until now. I've sent these guys an email with some technical questions (about the jumper switching etc...) and got an answer within 8 hours.

I've been playing bass for 10 years (playin' music for over 20 years). My first bass was a Yamaha RBX 250, but got tired of it really fast. I got my Cort Artisan A4 in 2006 (played on my best friends Fender Jazz Bass for 2 years before that) and bought the amp in april 2007. Before that I used a Roland bass cube for practise and an Ampeg SVT-450 head an Hartke 4x10" cabinet (sold everything when I heard this amp...). Things I really like are it's clarity and it's weight: 13 kilo's (28.6 lbs). This amp doesn't make you sound better/different: it makes you sound like you and your bass "really" do. This makes it a different amplifier than Ampeg/Hartke/EBS/Mesa/SWR... I really like that about Markbass. I hope it never gets stolen...

I totally love this amp. I use it for practice and for performance. For performance, I use it as a monitor and hook into the pa from the balanced line out. This amp has simple but powerful controls: Gain, clip light, 4 knob EQ and the 2 specialized knobs (VLE and VPF). I use the VLE (Vintage Loudspeaker Emulator) turned up half way. The back of the amp has 2 speaker outs, balanced line out, ground lift, effects loop and tuner out.

I wasn???t happy with my Fender BXR 60 and decided to get an amp with more power, and a better sound. I made a list of 5 things I was looking for in an amp. In reverse order of importance they are:
1. Features ??? Mark Bass had all the features I was looking for in an amp.
2. Portability ??? I wanted a rig that wouldn???t break my back and was easy to take to practice or gigs. I thought I???d need a separate head and cab(s). I started looking at music shops as well as bass chat forms. This combo is only 29 lbs.
3. Price ??? All the heads I was looking at were about $600. Even the Little Mark II head. Cabs were $400-$800. The CMD 121P gave me all the power I wanted and for $200 more than just the head, I had it in a combo.
4. Power ??? I wanted 200-400 watts of power. The CMD 121P version I have has 280 watts with the 12??? speaker and tweeter in the combo. I have another speaker out when added gives me 450 watts.
5. Sound ??? The must important requirement was great sound. I was looking at Ampeg and SWR. They both had a sound I liked. Then I started reading about Mark Bass on bass chat forms. I traveled 400 miles to the Las Vegas Guitar Center, played this combo and was sold. The sound is incredible with my Ibanez Sound Gear as well as my friends Fender P bass.

In the 9 months that I???ve had it it???s never let me down. I could better answer this question in 5 years.

Haven???t needed it yet.

The features are perfect for my needs. The portability for the power and sound are unsurpassed in my experience. I recently played at an outdoor venue and decided to borrow an Ampeg SVT rig. Everyone in my band as well as our sound guy all commented that they wished I???d brought my Mark Bass. They said it sounded much better. I totally agree.

This review is for the MarkBass CMD121P Combo. I bought this amp new at Guitar Center in June 2007. I do not know the manufacture date, but suspect is was Feb-Mar 2007.

The amp has 1 input channel for your bass and a balaced XLR input in an easy-to-access position on top of the unit. The XLR was designed for a vocal mic -- and works well for rehearsal -- but I have found it useful for running an iPod signal for practice and rehearsal. There is an effects loop, headphone / tuner out, DI out for running your signal into the house, and external speaker connection. There is no volume control for the DI signal which is not a large concern as the sound man can conrol your signal in the mix. All of the output jacks are at the bottom and hard to reach -- you must turn the unit on its side and lean to the floor to access these jacks.

The vol and EQ section are easily accessed and work well. I have found that you can get most sounds desired. The controls make it easy to get a traditional thump or a more modern slap tone without working really hard. Because this combo lacks front ports and does not push any air there is limit to the "feel". I prefer to 'feel' the bass at med to loud vol levels -- this combo does not deliver here.

The unit is solid state amp, 12" speaker + 1 inch tweeter that puts out sufficent power for a medium loud rehersal and giging at small venues. 500W @ 4 ohm / 300W @ 8 ohm. There is no separate tweeter attenuation control, but the tone contols provide sufficient balance to keep the sound from being too harsh.

I play 3 main basses - Fender American P with S1, Fender American Jazz with S1 and Dingwall Afterburner 5. These are all passive basses, so I cannot comment on the sound with an active rig. I play a variety of musical styles - rock, jazz, r&b, pop, slap, counrty -- and this amp (with the right bass selection) covers all reasonably well. The J and the Dingwall sound very good but the P sound is lacking. I suspect this is due to the lack of front ports and the ability to move air. The unit is very clean even when pushed and does a nice job with the low B of the Dingwall.

There is a variable speed fan to keep things cool that never gets noisy.

I have used the combo for rehersal, practice and small venue gigs and received compliments from other bass players and musicans on the sound especially when they see how small the combo is.

I have had the combo about 30 days with no issues, but cannot comment on long term reliability. The unit is solid and well made; if you believe the MarkBass web site thier products have a very low failure rate due to thier design and QA processes.

Again, no issues. Guitar Center warrants the unit as part of the purchase price.

I have been playing bass for 25 years. My main rig is G-K 1001RB with 2x10s and 4x10 cabs. I consider this to be my reference sound and can easily fill any hall and most outddoor events without going into the house. My G-K setup weighs well over 100 lbs and requires a SUV to move, hence my search for a useable combo. What this unit offers is a very respectable 70% of the full rig G-K sound at 25% of the weight and size.

I compared this various Fender, Ampeg, Line 6 and G-K combos. The MarkBass unit was more expensive but did combine a very small size with very versatile and usable sound. The other brands were either too whimpy sounding or nearly as large as my G-K rig.

The real selling point is the combination of quality sound at modest gig volume, easy to use controls and exceptionally small size. The combo is 29lbs and the size of 2 paper sacks of groceries, hence it will fit in any trunk -- even a small hatchback with the back seat up!

Worth checking out if you don't need huge volume and want to drive your car to a gig.

It's not packed with features but I believe in benefits more than features. It's simply got a combination active/passive input, all the tone controls you'll need, DI out, tuner input which is handy so you can have your tuner plugged in all the time and can tune on the fly, you have effects in and out on the back and the ability to plug the amp into another cab if need be. Im not into the 101 dials and knobs and just want to plug and play so this combo is perfect for me

The first thing I noticed was it was very quiet, even when on higher volumes. I play a washburn 5 string in contempory christian music both in a large church setting but also outside the church and when people see it they think it's a toy or rehearsal combo. They all eat their words when they hear it in all it's glory. From funky pop to swing and jazz tunes it's incredible the versatility it presents. Audition it and you'll agree it's sound is amazing

Don't know yet but I have a sneaking suspician that as long as I look after the amp The reliability will always be there

I have only just bought it but with a 5 year warrantee how can you go wrong

I have been a drummer for 20 years and have been playing bass for 10 years and played 4 and 5 string and fretless basses and have played through many different amps, speakers, cabs etc and have never in my life heard a an amazing little combo as this one. Don't let the size fool ya. It will easily blow any combo even remotely close to the size of this one out of the water and the clarity and tone is exceptional. I was still in shock the next morning after a gig and looked down at this small combo in my studio and couldn't believe how loud and clear it was.
In the store I tried to break it and could only set it at 5 on the volume cause my ears started to hurt and I was punishing it with deep "B" string slaps and really high pops and it didn't faulter. No distortion, no failure, no clipping. Imagine if I took it to 9 or even 10. There are alot of "loud" boxes out there but for the size and clarity of tone you will not regret spending that little extra. Highly recommended

I own a 2005 model and it's working great for me. It's unbelievably loud, if you need that; even more so with an extension cabinet (the tiny thing belts at 450 watts). But it remains extremely portable- and you don't need more than the trunk of a Beetle to drive it anywhere. Piezo tweeter maybe not the best, but ok- and VLE control actually dampens it if it gets too harsh- but that only happens on ultrabright strings and/or settings. Keep the EQ flat at all times, only adjust the VLE and VPF controls a bit. I wish the EQ controls had stops in the center position. To compensate for the lack of extra channels and the constant adjustments of input volume that necessitates when switching basses, I recently added a Tonebone- but that seems to take away a bit of the transparancy of the amp that I loved so much in the first place. Only real gripe is the DI on the back of the amp. It's only post-EQ and difficult to get at (groundlift too).

I use it with an array of basses, ranging from the boomy Godin A4 to a twangy Danelectro Longhorn- mostly on semi-acoustic rock and pop, and it translates everything you throw at it like a dream. Even the Ashbory sounds the proper way -like an upright with the flu- and that's a hard one to amplify. On your regular P-bass or JB you'll hear the thump, the lows and the growl you'd expect. I don't like it's distorted sound though- much too much like a buzzsaw, no warmth. But then I never use likt that. The amp is pretty unforgiving, if you get careless: this amp does not mask sloppy playing, although, if you set the controls to very vintage settings, you may get away with some. But if you want that, buy another amp- this one is for transparency without britlleness, thump without boom. Makes it a hell of a testing amp too: you'll really hear the sound of the bass and your fingers, with little coloration from the amp if everything is set flat. Because of the semi-acoustic nature of the band I'm playing in, we do a lot of low-volume gigs and the amp lends itself well for that: it remains full and thumpy at low volumes and projects well. Downside can be that you really need to position it behind your drummer if he is to hear it - it's not very 'wide angle' and the rear port does little in the way of definition. So on small venue-gigs, where monitoring is sparse or non-existent, work out a good position, otherwise your drummer will complain.

It's sturdy, but not built like a truck. The knobs are exposed and it's pretty tiny and fiddly. Never let me down though, but I wish they made a padded softcover for it; to add a flightcase to such a portable amp is really ridiculous, it should have a factory-made carrying bag, much like they made for the MiniMark and what GK can provide you with.

Never had anything to do with them.

I've been playing for 25 years, and currently use the following basses: Godin A4, Danelectro Longhorn (1ste reissue), DeArmond Ashbory, Fender Aerodyne P/J, Fretless Fender Precision with Seymour Duncan P/J configuration, TI and D'Addario (on the Aerodyne) strings, Tonebone. No effects.
I love this amp for being a sort high-end sounding, lightweight package. It does all I need from it and more. It really makes me sound so much better than the Ashdown I previously used, and is a breeze to transport. It's really much better for my purposes than any other combo I've tried- though I wouldn't recommend it to bassists who look for natural distortion. If you like the pure sound of wood, strings and hands, this one's for you. I hate the yellow-black looks, but hey- it's so small it needs not to be overlooked!

2006 model
1 channel(jack+XLR)
4 band EQ and VLE , VPF filters
effect loop
280w/8ohms 450w/4ohms
13.5kgs weight
no headphone output
12" neodynium woofer and piezzo tweeter

I use Yamaha BBN5A , Ibanez ATK and Fender JB and play all styles ,and often play solos
This amp is incredible because of its powerfull sound and its weight
Deep bass and clean mid-treble , not the best i've heard because of the piezzo tweeter
the midrange lacked of warmth and body , so i applied damping liquid (Visaton LTS50 )on the 12" black dome and that totally corrected the problem

this amp seems very reliable

this amp is very special , huge and deep sound in a little light cabinet
A lot of growl when modded
Maybe the combo all the bassplayers were waitng for ,
way better than the old Gallien Krueger MB150

This one 12" combo with a piezo tweeter is so versatile it's scary! MarkBass has added 2 controls (knobs): VLE and VPF. These 2 controls alter the basic charistics of the tone effectively making it possible to emulate a wide variety of amp/speaker tones. Very impressive. This combo is only 30lbs and has super clear sound, especially at sub-freqs, and at levels that would cause any bartender to tell you to "turn down."
Fully loaded with features too... Effects loop, DI (Lo-Z/XLR), Tuner out, External spkr (Speakon) jack and Hi-Z (1/4") and Lo-Z (XLR) instrument inputs.

Very quite: no humming and also no white-noise to speak of. Tone controls are very well thought out and very sweepable. The sound from this combo is as big as any rig with a 15" and 2 10" speakers. It's amazing, you really need to hear for yourself to belive it. Another thing I like is that it sounds robust and warm at low volumes too. This is particulrly cool when I do dinner or caf?? gigs. Pop/Slap, Jaco Jazz Bass, SVT/P-Bass with a pick... this combo does it all very well!

I've only had the combo for a couple of weeks, so I can't say how reliable it is yet. The combo is very well constructed. The jacks are beefy/heavy-duty and it has an internal fan to keep it cool. There's no fan noise that I can hear, which is also nice. the speaker box and grille are all noise-free, at even the loadest settings there's no rattles or buzzes.

The MarkBass website is thoughtfully put together and has technical data and PDFs for all models that's easy to get to. I haven't needed support as I've only had the combo for 2 weeks.

I've been playing for 20yrs, had a lot gear of the years including the big Ampeg SVT and EV cabs, Trace Elliot's, Boogie, Polytone, GK 800rb and so on. I've been out looking for a small and light combo to gig with... In my search I tried combos from Eden, GK, Ampeg, Behringer, Fender, Peavey, Line6 and some others. Only the Ampeg BA115 came close. 2nd was the Line6 LD300 (15"). In both cases the sounds and power were good but the giant cabinets and weight were big negatives. This MarkBass "Mini CMD 121P" is actually more powerful and louder than both of those and tone is amazing!
BTW-I did try the MarkBass CMD 102P (2-10" +tweeter and a bigger, tilt-back cabinet), it was brighter but didn't seem as thick sounding on the low-freqs.

Manufactured 2006. The EQ section is gain, low, mid low, mid high and high. I play rock, jazz, funk and slap. The amp has only one channel, which is what I prefer. I does have a balanced input too. Effects loop is in the rear and no head phone jack but this was not a prerequisite. The amp is top loaded in the speaker enclosure which makes accessing the rear of the amp a little tedious. I use this amp for practice but it is loud enough for rehersal.

I have a U.S.A. Sadowsky (24) fret 5 string which I love. The bass always sounds good regardless of the amplification but i9 have to say this combo sounds amazing. I run the EQ section flat. It has a VLE knob which cuts the high frequencies. As it is turned clockwise, it generates a warm, fat traditional tone. It also has a VPF knob which cuts the mids and boosts the lows and highs for the a typical slap tone. The two knobs are all I need to dial in an incredible tone. Alas! a truly simple/user freindly EQ section. The amp does have a fan but do to the way the amp is loaded in the cab it's very quiet.

The amp is solid state and brand new so i can't comment on the dependability. However, the workmanship, pots an attention to detail are second to none.

I can't elaborate here...like I said the amp is new and the warranty is (2) years.

I'be been playing 20 years and have owned too many basses and amps to list. My last rig was the Aguilar 500 SC head coupled with the (1) x 12" cab + tweeter and the Markbass, in my opinion, is a better sounding/more user friendly rig. It's volume is comparable as well. I am truly amazed how loud this little box can get. If it were lost or stollen I would immediately buy another one. If I were playing out, I would buy another Markbass head and a multiple of Markbass cabs.